Ray Eames
OVERVIEW
To mark the centennial of designer Ray Eames, a unifying brand system was developed for a landmark exhibition. Leading the project’s strategic evolution from 2012 to 2014, I engineered a system promoting the first exhibit to explore Ray’s life and work as an equal partner in the Eames legacy.
Leveraging her 50% contribution as a critical narrative shift, the project transformed the museum’s brand while driving market share, salience, and ROI.
ROLE + SCOPE
Project Management & Strategy: Directing the two-year project timeline, strategic evolution, advisory council synchronization, and partner communications.
Brand Positioning & Architecture: Designing the 50% contribution narrative shift, local market positioning, and campaign messaging frameworks.
Creative Direction & Copywriting: Creating the visual identity system, experiential symbols, exhibition copywriting, and promotional print/OOH/digital assets.
Event Marketing & Sponsor Cultivation: Managing multi-partner event execution, retail activations, and driving the campaign that secured $250K in sponsor revenue.
STRATEGY
Celebrating the centennial of Ray Eames required a brand strategy beyond the conventional design retrospective exhibition to correct a persistent historical imbalance. For decades, the design world had largely treated Ray as a secondary figure to Charles, or worse, his brother.
Compounding that historical oversight, Ray’s legacy was largely unknown in her hometown of Sacramento, a region with a creative community that is often overlooked in the shadow of San Francisco, a parallel to Ray’s contributions being lost behind Charles' better-known legacy.
The core strategy turned that shared obscurity into a powerful narrative hook. I positioned the exhibition around her roots as a Sacramento native who broke barriers for women in the arts, establishing her as a full, equal partner and creative force behind the legendary Eames body of work.
To reinforce the positioning, I centered on a quote that aligned with the exhibition's overarching storyline:
"Anything I can do, she can do better."
-Charles Eames on Ray Eames
Approved by project partners from the Eames family and Eames Office, the messaging redefined Ray's influence and raised her visibility. The project also elevated the museum's brand, establishing the institution as a cultural authority, and earning worldwide recognition as the first institution to mount a groundbreaking exhibition exploring Ray's life and work.
SYSTEM
I synchronized an advisory council featuring high-profile partners from the Eames family and Eames Office, manufacturers and retailers of Eames Office designs (like Herman Miller and Lumens), and regional arts leaders, who helped execute the brand system by raising funding for the year-long exhibition’s marketing budget.
Ultimately, $250K in sponsor revenue was raised to sustain paid promotions to execute the brand system across print, digital, OOH, and activations, including an Eames Pop-Up Shop in the Museum Store, exclusive events, an exhibition "Inspiration Station" with activities sponsored by IKEA, and a screening of the 2011 documentary “Eames: The Architect and the Painter” with director Jason Cohn and granddaughter Llisa Demetrios.
RESULTS
3X
social followers/
audience growth
4X
site traffic/
brand demand
+250%
media coverage/
brand salience
+400%
ROI/
capital efficiency